Born in Birmingham, Christopher Turner read Music at the University of Hull, furthering his studies with Barbara Robotham at the Royal Northern College of Music and at the National Opera Studio, where he was sponsored by the Scottish Endowment Trust and The Friends of Covent Garden. He has received many prizes, including The Michael and Joyce Kennedy Prize for Singing Strauss, The Frederic Cox Prize, the Elizabeth Harwood Prize, and, most recently, a Countess of Munster ‘Young Star’ Award and the Sybil Tutton Award from the Musicians Benevolent Fund. He was also a major scholar of the Sir Peter Moores Foundation.
Christopher Turner made his professional début as Dr Blind Die Fledermaus for Scottish Opera On Tour before joining the Young Singers Programme at English National Opera where roles include Robert Wilson Doctor Atomic, First Armed Man/First Priest The Magic Flute, Beppe Pagliacci, Simpleton Boris Godunov, Spoletta Tosca, Pong Turandot and Messenger Aida. Since then he has sung Don Ottavio (Opera North/Diva Opera in France), Roderigo Otello (Opera North), Janek The Makropulos Case and Esquire Parsifal (English National Opera) Borsa Rigoletto and Pong Turandot (Scottish Opera), Dr Caius Falstaff (Opera Holland Park), Damon Acis and Galatea, Prunier La Rondine and Iro The Return of Ulisses (Iford Arts), title role Albert Herring (Mid Wales Opera), Tebaldo I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Chelsea Opera Group), Ecclitico Il Mondo della Luna (English Touring Opera) and Artemidoro in Salieri’s La grotta di Trofonio, Sempronio in Haydn’s The Apothecary, Jupiter in Gluck’s Philemon and Baucis and the title role in Arne’s The Judgement of Paris (Bampton Classical Opera). In summer 2015 he made his Italian debut singing Inquisitor/ Sultan Achmet in Candide (Opera de Firenze).
Christopher Turner performs regularly in concert and his performances have taken him throughout the UK, and also to Europe and the Far East. Recent engagements include Beethoven Ninth Symphony with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall and with the Philharmonia at the Lichfield Festival, Mozart Requiem and Messiah with the Orchestra of St John’s Smith Square, and Messiah at Cadogan Hall with the London Chamber Orchestra. He has recorded Aubrey Maria di Rohan and Keeper of the Tower Pia dei Tolomei for Opera Rara, Mozart Requiem (CD) and Handel’s Messiah (DVD) with Orchestra of St John’s.
Last season included Augusto in Leoncavallo’s Zazà with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican (also recorded by Opera Rara), Tibrino in Cesti’s Orontea with La Nuova Musica at the Wigmore Hall, Fabio in Handel’s Berenice with La Nuova Musica in Göttingen and Macduff Macbeth for Iford Arts.
Plans include a return to Florence to sing Giuliano in Handel’s Rodrigo with La Nuova Musica, Dormont La Scala di Seta and Rodolfo La Bohème (Scottish Opera), Title Role Jephtha with Iford Arts and further contracts with Scottish Opera.
